Match Day 31 saw Barcelona all but clinch the title by beating Atleti. The result means we may be left focusing on other matters over the remaining weeks but luckily there are some intense tussles building in terms of the battle for 4th and the relegation scrap. Another action-packed weekend seems to have ended with the picture even more blurred at the bottom while only 3 points now separate 4th placed Sevilla and Valencia in 6th.
Here was the best of the action on match-day 32 in the 2018/19 Spanish Primera Division:
La Liga Match Day 32 Results, Expected Goals & Highlights
Saturday 13th April 2019
Espanyol 2-1 Alaves (xG 0.62-1.1)
Huesca 0-0 Barcelona (xG 0.21-0.96)
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo (xG 1.75-0.62)
Sevilla 3-2 Real Betis (xG 2.32-1.09)
Sunday 14th April 2019
Real Valladolid 2-2 Getafe (xG 1.40-1.37)
Athletic Club 3-2 Rayo Vallecano (xG 2.60-0.73)
Real Sociedad 1-1 Eibar (xG 0.29-1.00)
Girona 0-1 Villarreal (xG 0.96-1.39)
Valencia 3-1 Levante (xG 2.87-0.28)
Monday 15th April 2019
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Sevilla win a Derby Classic
Beautiful Tifo to match a great #ElGranDerbi 5 lovely goals, aided by some suspect defending and a Sevilla side who seemed determined to let Betis back in. Loved the Sánchez-Pizjuán, brilliant stadium and atmosphere pic.twitter.com/414fzBPnEs
— Jean-Pierre Gazian (@JpGazian) April 14, 2019
Derby day in Seville served up another classic on Saturday. Betis, who won 5-3 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last season, looked in the mood for a repeat in the early stages as Jese went close. However in what was a pretty even game, Sevilla gradually started to exert more authority with Munir breaking the deadlock. The Second Half was a thrilling watch with two of the stars of this season scoring as Giovani Lo Celso levelled for Betis before Pablo Sarabia restored Sevilla’s advantage. There was still time for Mudo Vazquez and Cristian Tello to both score with fine long-range efforts as the Gran Derbi ended with a Final Score of Sevilla 3-2 Betis.
The home players celebrated long after the Final Whistle and the atmosphere inside the RSP served up yet another reminder of why the Seville derby is considered Spain’s most passionate. The result leaves Sevilla back in 4th after Getafe dropped points at Valladolid on Sunday. The two sides meet in a crunch clash next weekend. For Betis though, their Europa League hopes are fading.
Levante’s wait for a Mestalla win goes on
LA LIGA | A young Valencia strike corps showed no mercy vs. relegation-threatened Levante ⤵️
?? Gonçalo Guedes (22)
1 goal, 1 assist?? Santi Mina (23)
2 goals?? Carlos Soler (22)
1 assist, 1 own goal ?Guedes is a rockstar these days! ?? pic.twitter.com/fUdMsrpY9o
— Football Wonderkidz (@FootWonderkidz) April 14, 2019
It may be more than a two-horse race for 4th though with Valencia waiting to pounce. They’ve never lost a Valencia derby at the Mestalla and Levante never really looked like ending their wait for what would have been the sweetest of victories on Sunday evening. A brace from Santi Mina and another goal for in-form Goncalo Guedes sealed a 3-1 victory for Los Che. They face local rivals again on Thursday as Villarreal visit in the Europa League but with a 3-1 1st Leg advantage that tie looks all but done and dusted. Marcelino’s side effectively have two decent shots at trying to secure Champions League football in 2019/20.
Villarreal finally defend a Lead!
Samu Chukwueze’s five La Liga goals this season have been worth six points.
Villarreal’s match-winner today, pulling them out of the relegation zone.
The unlikely hero. pic.twitter.com/KNCpYSp4cZ
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) April 14, 2019
Villarreal have spurned so many chances to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone in recent weeks. They let a 2-0 Half-Time lead slip to lose in Vigo and only drew against Barcelona having led 4-2 with 90 minutes on the clock. They conceded twice in Stoppage Time in the Europa League on Thursday night too so there would have been plenty of trepidation heading into a large chunk of Added Time with a 1-0 lead at Girona on Sunday.
Samuel Chukwueze had given it to them in just the 7th minute with a composed finish and for once Villarreal managed to be defensively sound, seeing out what was effectively another 90 minutes to seal a vital 1-0 win that lifted them out of the drop-zone. For Girona meanwhile it was their 7th defeat in 8 home games and the Catalans will be getting jittery with work to do to secure their safety and only 6 games to go.
Match Day 32 in Numbers
- Quique Setien suffered his 1st Seville derby defeat as Betis boss in his 4th game against Sevilla.
- Just 3 points now separates 14th placed Girona and 18th placed Valladolid with Levante, Celta and Villarreal sandwiched in between.
- Barcelona fielded a team with an average age of 24 years and 133 days at Huesca, the youngest XI any side has sent out in La Liga this term.
- Jorge Molina’s 96th minute equaliser for Getafe at Valladolid ensured they extended an unbeaten run outside the Madrid Community in La Liga of more than 1 year.
- After defeat at Atleti, Celta have now lost 10 of their 12 league matches this season without Iago Aspas starting, taking only 4 points.
Up Next…
La Liga returns on Friday night with Alaves hosting Valladolid. There are couple of big ones at the bottom on Saturday as Rayo host Huesca and Celta take on Girona while Getafe host Sevilla in a huge match in the race for 4th on Sunday. A full midweek schedule follows that too so there is plenty of Spanish football coming up over the next fortnight.
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Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.